Letter from an Old Farmer, 1818.

[Currie]

Here’s an interesting short article from The Edinburgh Magazine, 1818. It was repeated in the Caledonian Mercury on Monday, August 10, 1818, under the heading “Mode of Living among Scottish Farmers during the Early Part of Last Summer”. Someone must have had his mind on other things.


MODE OF LIVING AMONG SCOTTISH FARMERS DURING THE EARLY PART OF LAST CENTURY.

Mr. Editor,
I have lately read, with a good deal of satisfaction, a paper which appeared in some of the first numbers of your New Series, on the Change of Manners in Scotland in the early part of last century. I have always esteemed such memorials of the olden times, particularly when derived from actual observation, extremely interesting; and I have been induced by the perusal of the above article, to commit to paper a few memoranda of my own on a like subject. The observations of an old farmer, however, (as you will of course anticipate,) must necessarily be restricted to a much narrower circle, and to a humbler class of society. What I have at present to say, indeed, relates almost entirely to the former state of the agricultural classes in the southern districts of Scotland; and I have endeavoured to illustrate the subject chiefly by describing to you the common economy of my father's household. You must not, therefore, look for any thing like a full discussion of the matter, nor any complete picture of rustic life and manners. I can only pretend to give you a few of the traits that have left the most vivid impression on my own memory—leaving to you, Mr. Editor, or some of your intelligent correspondents, the task of filling up the outline, and drawing general conclusions.

My ancestors, so far back as I can trace them, (which I am proud to do to the reign of Charles II.) have been, like myself, "tillers of the ground." I shall not, however, attempt to carry you back to those evil times, when my great-grandfather suffered many severities for conscience sake; but I shall begin with quoting one or two family papers, to shew the frugal mode of living that prevailed about the beginning of last century among people of our rank. The first of these is my grandfather's marriage-contract with his first wife, dated February 19, 1707. In this document, which is very formally drawn out in due legal style, the bridegroom engages to settle on his "future spouse, Margaret Paisley, lawfull dauchter to the deceist Thomas Paisley, tenant in Brotherstanes, the soume of five hundred merks Scots,”* as a competent jointure in the event of her surviving him; while she, on the other hand, makes over to him "all and haill the soume of one hundred pounds Scots money,”† as the reputable tocher of a substantial farmer's daughter.

My grandfather died in 1745, leaving a family of two sons and a daughter, in what were then reckoned very comfortable circumstances. In fact, besides the stock of a small farm, he left upwards of L. 300 Sterling to be divided among his three children. This was no contemptible fortune in these times; but to understand its relative value, it will be necessary to make due allowance not only for the depreciation of money since that period, but still more for the mighty change in the mode of living among all ranks of society. As a curious evidence of this, I send you the subjoined inventory of my grandfather's household furniture, taken by one of his sons at the time of his decease.‡

There is now scarcely a respectable hind in that quarter of the country, who could not muster a more valuable array of moveables. And yet the worthy goodman who owned this frugal gear, was not in his day accounted either mean or miserly; but, on the contrary, maintained a reputable character for hospitality, and lived in habits of friendship and occasional family intercourse, not only with friends and neighbours of his own rank, but also with his landlord, (a small but respectable proprietor,) and with the minister of the parish.

My father, who was the eldest son, about this time entered upon an excellent farm of 500 acres, partly arable and partly pasturage, for which he paid a rent of L. 100 Sterling; and it was reckoned dear enough taken at the time. Yet the same farm was let six years ago to a worthy neighbour of mine (who now occupies it) for L. 1000 per annum. So much have times altered, and agriculture improved during the last 70 years. Soon after entering to this farm, my father married the daughter of a small laird or portioner, who brought him a handsome dowry of 100 guineas. With this addition to his patrimony, he throve apace, and brought up a family of nine sons and two daughters; all of whom, except one, he had the satisfaction to see well married and established in the world, before his death, which happened about the year eighty. —But it is now time to give you some specimens of our mode of living, which entirely corresponded with that of our neighbours in the same station.

Our farm employed three ploughs; and, besides the master and his family, our household usually consisted of four men and three women servants. The ploughmen (as is still the practice) slept in the stable loft. Hinds, or married servants with separate houses, were not then common; but the shepherd had a house and kail yard allotted him as at present. When all at home, our whole family generally amounted to from fifteen to eighteen souls,—a number, perhaps, somewhat more than will usually be found now on a farm of the same extent,—but maintained certainly in a much more frugal manner. Every farmer then killed his own beef and mutton, brewed his own beer, and maintained his wife and children, as well as servants, on home provisions. Groceries were little used,— bakers' bread very little,—and butcher meat from the market not at all. In regard to the last article, the uniform practice was to kill a bullock about Martinmas, (called from that circumstance, I suppose, The Mart,) which, being well cured, and served out with great economy, kept the house in salted beef till the end of the following autumn. Pork occasionally, with a lamb or two in their season, and braxy mutton at other times, contributed to assist the Mart in bringing round the year. To support such a family in this manner, would be quite impossible now-a-days; and even then it would have been impossible, had not the whole economy of a farmhouse been upon a very different footing from our present system.

Little of the jealous distinction of ranks which now subsists between the farming class and their hired servants, was then known. Every household formed, in fact, but one society, as well as one family. Masters and servants dined at the same table,—assembled round the same fireside,—and conversed together on common topics. If there was less refinement in the one class than at present, there was also less vulgarity in the other, from this intercourse; and there was unquestionably more mutual kindness and reciprocal attachment.

A description of our common mode of living in my father's time will give you a pretty accurate idea of the system that prevailed about the middle of last century. A long stout table stood near the window of the kitchen, (an apartment also sometimes called the Ha', and which was contrived to serve both purposes.) At meals, the goodman took his seat at the head of this table; next him sat his own family and relations; and below them the servants. At dinner two or three large wooden bowls of kail (or Scotch broth) were first served up, of which all partook largely, with the help of coarse horn spoons, or cutties. When this first course was over, a number of wooden trenchers were placed on the board, and a moderate piece of boiled meat was set before the goodman; who, taking out a clasped knife and fork, (which he always carried in his pocket,) proceeded to carve it into very small pieces, and apportion it discreetly out to his eager guests. Very few knives and forks were used, —the children always, and frequently the servants, helping themselves with their fingers, as is still the practice in some foreign countries. The kail was then replaced on the table, and, with abundance of barley bannocks, supplied all deficiencies, and concluded the repast.

Even in this frugal fashion, however, the family were not regaled with butcher meat every day,—but only twice, or, at the most, thrice a week. On the other maigre days, its place was supplied by cheese, butter, milk, salt herrings, oatmeal dumpling, &c. You may imagine, therefore, with what high relish the savoury morsel of the well salted mart was always welcomed. Our breakfast and supper uniformly consisted of oatmeal porridge. Potatoes had been but recently introduced into the country, and had scarcely come upon the farmer's table as a dainty.

During harvest we fared somewhat more sumptuously. "Kail and flesh" was then the daily fare of the whole community. Although the labour was more arduous, therefore, this period was a sort of carnival compared with the rigid frugality of the rest of the year. The close of Autumn was celebrated by а kirn or harvest home, when all the shearers, servants, and cottars, were regaled with a warm supper, in which the "great chieftain of the pudding race" always formed a prominent dish, and was washed down with a moderate libation of homebrewed beer and whisky. Music and dancing sometimes concluded the entertainment,—but not in my father's house, who, being a staunch adherent to the most rigid form of Presbyterianism, had unrelentingly proscribed all "promiscuous dancing" in his family, as one of the worst of those worldly fashions "which are not convenient." For similar reasons, Halloween was forbidden to be held in our house. Yet, besides the kirn, a few old holidays were still partially observed by us; and, among these, Hansel Monday was never forgotten. Early on that morning, all the hinds and cottars, as well as the farm servants, assembled at the Ha’ to partake of a hearty breakfast of fat brose, which was duly prepared for them; after which (every sort of work being laid aside, except foddering the cattle,) all were left at liberty to visit their friends, or dispose of the day as they thought proper.

Except among relatives, or near friends, nothing of what is now understood by visiting, was then practised. Formal dinners and tea parties were equally unknown. The use of tea, indeed, among people of our rank, was very limited. My father contemned it as an effeminate drug; and, though he could not prevent it from gradually gaining ground with the female part of our family, he forbade his sons to partake of it, and never deigned to taste it himself except when the minister come to visit us, either privately, or in the course of his ecclesiastical visitations. On these occasions my mother's homely tea equipage was triumphantly set out in the best apartment, where, in lieu of a carpet, one of the coarser bed-coverlets was spread on the floor, below the feet of our worthy pastor, and tea and buttered scones were liberally handed round to old and young.

You may probably be apt to suppose that the life of a farmer must have been very dull and stupid in these times; and, looking exclusively at the austere strictness of our religious observances,—the general proscription of worldly amusements,—the defective education (seldom extending beyond common English reading, with a little exercise in writing and arithmetic,)—the want of books and opportunities for study,—and, above all, the want of refinement, which necessarily ensued from associating with the menial servants,—you may naturally picture to yourself a state of society altogether clownish, monotonous, and melancholy. Yet this would lead to a very false estimate both of their enjoyments, and their general character.

Nothing could be more erroneous, indeed, than to imagine the life of a farmer of those times unenlivened by mirth and enjoyment. We had, in fact, much more leisure, and inclination also, to be merry, than is permitted to us now. Spring and autumn were the only seasons that required arduous labour, in the old system of farming; and, then, these seasons came round to us with an air of more festivity,—had more of a heart-stirring aspect about them,—and their toils were encountered (if I may so express it) with more of a military ardour, than in these days of regular rotations, machinery, and summer fallow. At other times of the year, we took matters easy enough. The winning of peats and hay, ewe-milking, sheep-shearing, and the management of the horned cattle, occupied the lightsome days of summer. In winter, our leisure was still greater, and our enjoyments more diversified. Field sports were eagerly followed by both masters and servants, in the intervals of labour, or after the short winter yoking was over; and the obnoxious game laws were not generally enforced to restrain the peasantry from this hardy amusement. Many sports too, now confined to children, were then occasionally practised by full grown men, with all the ardour and hilarity of boyhood. Many a time have I seen my grave worthy father toss down the foot-ball, or the kitticat, to us and the servant lads, and sometimes take a hearty bout at these games himself. In winter, too, we beguiled the long evenings with story-telling, ballad-singing, tales of boggles and witches, (in which all devoutly believed;) and to these the wandering beggar and the pedlar, always welcome guests, added other varieties of entertainment.

Some of these amusements were rather childish, perhaps, and fit only for a rude state of society; yet, with all our modern improvements, (and we have certainly made mighty advances in many important respects,) I am inclined to consider it at least doubtful, if all that has been abandoned of our former manners has been equally well replaced,—and whether some part of our present knowledge and refinement has not been purchased by the sacrifice of qualities still more valuable. But the consideration of this question would lead to discussions too extensive for me at present to attempt. I have still a good deal to say, however, that might tend to illustrate the subject, and, should this homely communication be deemed worthy of a place in your valuable repository, you may probably hear again from
AN OLD FARMER.
Selkirkshire, June 25, 1818.

* L. 27, 15s. 6⅔d. Sterling.
† L. 8, 6s. 8d. Sterling.
‡ Ane Inventar of ye Insight Plenishing belonging to my late Father—Taken the 15th of Fcbr. 1746.
Impr. four beds. It. two fitgangs. It. three big chistse. It. four smal chists. It. two stands. It. ane amrie and two cubbords. It. ane wooln wheel. It ane lint wheel. It. ane chak reel. It. ane big table. It. ane oval table. It. ane langsettle. It. six shires (chairs). It. four stools. It. two meal arks. It. three tubs. It. a flesh boat. It. four butter kitts. It. three coags. It. six milk bowies. It. two stone fluets. It two stoups. It. two kail potts and a kettle. It. ane brass pan. It. ane salt fatt. It. ane brander. It. ane girdle. It. ane ladle. It. a souin seive. It. ane babrick. It. ane meal skep. It. two basons. It. ane puthcr (pewter) stoup and jug. It. 6 puther plaits. It. three lim (?) trenchers. It. a lim dish. It. 11 timber trenchers. It. a timber stoupe. It. 3 pigs. It. six plaits. It. six timber caps. It. twelve horne spoons. It. eight puther spoons. It. two dozen of bottles. It. cruik and clips, tongs, and flesh hook.

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=FFw ... AJ&pg=PA43

Hope that’s interesting,
Alan

[ninatoo]

Thanks Alan,

I found it very interesting indeed!

Nina

[marypryde]

Thank you, Alan. For me, the article provided depth and made a rather dry inventory of names and occupations come alive. The article helped me "feel" how my ancestors lived their lives. You always have something interesting to contribute.
Best regards, Mary Ellen

[joette]

I'm with Mary Ellen.I like the personal touch in history.
This is very insightful & as many of my ancestors were employed as Ploughmen & Ag labs during this period increases my understanding of their day-to day life. =D>
Thanks Alan.

[Lorna Allison]

Thank you so much Alan

If the old farmer's Brotherstone was near to Earlston in the Borders then my gg grandfather farmed not 2 miles from it at Butchercote, in 1870. I am so interested to have this insight into a farmer's lifestyle in the 1700s. Must let my farmer rellie in the Borders "read all about it".

Lorna

[Anne H]

Thanks Alan for an extremely interesting bit of history. I continue to be amazed by your finds.

Regards,
Anne H

[joette]

Me too.

[Russell]

Lovely find Alan

It reflects perfectly the transition from the old run-rig/fermtoun agriculture and social structure to the developing mechanised/industrial form of farming with its employer/employee divisions.

Russell

[grannysrock]

I really enjoyed reading that Alan - thanks for posting .
Wonder what the Old Farmer would make of modern life.
Sally

[Currie]

I’m glad everyone liked this one. I’ll have to find some more. The trouble is that stories like this are more likely to be stumbled over than found.

Alan